Welcome!
Glad you're here. On this page you'll find all the games, variants and instructions for my THE POLY CARD DECK, always up to date and clearly sorted by card aspect.
The deck is full of possibilities! More than 27 core games and over 800 variations. And that's just the beginning, because new games from the community keep being added regularly. Best to check back often or follow me on social media so you don't miss anything.
Do you have an idea of your own for a new game or a variant with THE POLY CARD DECK?
Feel free to send it to me. I'm happy about every suggestion and share the ideas with the community.
The Concept at a Glance.
The Poly Card Deck, or TPCD for short, is my universal card game system. With the 120 cards and their accompanying game pieces, you can currently play 27 base games and more than 800 variations.
This overview briefly explains what's in the box and how the concept behind it works.
The Front Side
The deck consists of two complete card sets. Set 1 (cards 1 to 60) shows classic playing card symbols: hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs. Set 2 (cards 61 to 120) is identical in structure but carries tarot symbols: cups, coins, swords, and wands.
What's special is that each individual card combines many layers at once: a classic card value, a sequential number from 1 to 120, all common dice values from D2 to D20, one of six eurogame resources, a memory symbol, four English words (emotion, verb, place, animal), two different letters, a rock paper scissors symbol, a victory point value, dominoes, a compass direction, major arcana cards, and an activity icon. It's exactly this combination that turns a single card into the foundation for a huge variety of different games.
The 2 Back Sides
On the back of all 120 cards there are two slightly different graphic designs. Both consist of the same geometric elements, triangles and squares in light and dark areas, as well as edge marks along the borders.
This design isn't just a back side, it's a game board at the same time. By arranging the cards in specific patterns, playing fields for board games emerge, for example a chessboard pattern or other grid layouts, all without a separate game board.
The Game Pieces
The TPCD includes 44 game pieces, 22 in white and 22 in black. They can be used for any board games that require pieces.
16 of the white and 16 of the black pieces are additionally marked with chess piece symbols, so a complete game of chess can be played with them as well.
More than a card game!
A tool for game designers.
TPCD isn't just a game system with 25+ ready made games, it's also the foundation on which new games can be created.
With the 120 cards and the aspects found on them, such as dice, coin flips, directions, colors, and the game pieces, a single set covers almost everything needed to design your own game. Anyone with an idea for mechanics can try it out right at the table, without having to print their own cards first.
This is exactly how TPCD came to be. From early prototypes and countless test rounds, clear, simple rules emerged over time, rules that feel good and play smoothly. Each of the 34 included games was tested, adjusted, and discarded multiple times until it worked well.
Anyone who designs games themselves can use TPCD the same way: as a prototyping toolkit for their own ideas, for test rounds with friends or the community, and as a starting point for entirely new variations.
The growing community games page will show what emerges from this, and it keeps growing with every new idea.
In short
Cards and game pieces together form a complete, flexible game system. This makes it possible to play classic card games, dice games, board games, word and party games, and much more, all from a single box.
For most games, the TPCD deck itself is enough. Some games additionally need simple items not included in the box, for example paper, pens, or a stopwatch or hourglass. This is noted directly with the respective game under "What You Need."